Tuesday, August 21, 2012

One of the best stores in all of Disney World - ranking right up there with World of Disney and Mouse Gears - is the Mitsukoshi department store located in Epcot's Japan. It is a must do for our entire family - and I don't think we've ever walked out without purchasing something. There is truly something for everyone inside.

The store itself is divided into "boutique" areas. And when you first walk in, your first area is for Hello Kitty. (I so wish I could understand the appeal. And did you know that there is a whole Hello Kitty house in China? Go ahead, google it. I'll wait for you to come back...)

And just across from Hello Kitty, we have Pokemon land. I find it interesting that my girls need to peruse both of these areas!

There are also areas with anime "things"that I don't know anything about - well, except that they are anime "things."

Then, the very loud part of the store includes the pick a pearl. This is a really fun and inexpensive experience. For about $15, you can choose an oyster - and with a grand production (including drums!) they will open your oyster to reveal your pearl. (Tip: The best pearls are supposed to be inside the ugliest, hairiest oysters!) The pearl isn't expensive, but some of the settings can be a bit pricey.

Further into the store you'll find Japanese t-shirts, shoes, socks (we love to get flip-flop socks here), purses, and even berets.

There is an entire room of Kimonos for all (women, men, children) including some gorgeous accessories like hair clips or even parasols.

You can find bonsai trees, books on calligraphy, home decor. Hundreds of different styles of chopsticks. Tea sets. Dishes.

And then we get to one of our favorite parts - the grocery section. And what a treasure trove it is. My girls always have to get a box of Pocky (though we are thrilled that we can find it at our grocery and Target now!).

And they really like to get gummy candies. We try to find flavors that they have never heard of. Like "mangosteen."

Another unique item is the drink - Ramune. It's a carbonated fruity drink - but in order to drink it, you have to push a marble through the top and then it rattles in the glass while you drink it. You have to practice the way you drink it so that the marble doesn't clog the flow of the liquid as you try to sip it! This one also has a lot of unique flavors - and my girls like to keep the interestingly shaped bottles as souvenirs.

There are all kinds of other unique food offerings. They have bags of dried crabs. Still in the shell. Shrimp chips (not a fan!). Wasabi flavored dried peas. Dried octopus. But I suppose the most sought after is candy.

We always try to get something new each time. And we especially like getting something where we have NO idea as to what it is.

So...what about you? Have you shopped at Mitsukoshi? What did you buy?!

This is the #1 store in Epcot that I'm looking forward to revisiting. Ashlyn is doing a 9 week unit study on Japan this quarter and she is all about the kimonos and getting a pearl. I can't wait! This store was way cool!